THE owner of a talented and rare parrot, which has its own caravan, today made a heartfelt plea to thieves who broke in and snatched the bird from her cage.

Derek Howard, of Whinney Corner Stables, Edisford Road, Clitheroe, was devastated to find African Grey Minter Sally had been taken during the weekend.

He is viewing the theft as a particularly mean and upsetting act and agrees with the police view of the incident as one which was planned well in advance.

Police said thieves broke into Sally's caravan and stole her from a cage between 9pm on Saturday and 7.30am on Sunday.

The grey bird, which has a maroon tail and was tagged at the time of the theft, is a particularly rare breed and worth around £350.

Derek said Sally was a talented bird who would squawk 'ello' repeatedly until someone replied. She also sings Old MacDonald's Farm and can wolf-whistle.

He said: "I've had Sally for six years and she is the first thing to greet me every morning. I am devastated and really miss her. I can't believe someone would do this.

"The thieves haven't taken anything else, just the parrot. So it must have been a calculated theft.

" She lives in a cage in a caravan of her own and they pulled the doors off the cage before taking her. Why would anyone do this? "

Sgt Chris Johnson of Clitheroe Police said: "This is a particularly unusual theft and, if anyone has been offered a parrot through anything other than the normal channels, we want to hear from them.

"The parrot is a rare breed and it was definitely stolen, as opposed to having escaped, so we can only assume that the thieves knew exactly what they were looking for."

If anyone has any information or has come across a parrot that answers Sally's description, they can contact Clitheroe Police on 01200 443344.